It couldn't be a perfectly traditional wedding, seeing as neither the bride nor the groom had any real family to speak of. They had to get by with close aquaintances to play the roles of new in-laws, and so thus, close friends were judiciously recruited. Gensai Sensei, Megumi and Tae all readily accepted roles as family of the bride, and as for the groom, it took a ridiculous amount of sake to coax his master out of the recluse cabin he'd been holed up in and attend, and oddly enough, since Tokio had somehow or another become inseperable friends with Kaoru, Saitou even showed up for the event.
The pre-wedding preparations were as standard as ever where the bride was concerned; Tae and Megumi styled the girl's hair, straightened out every crease on her shiro-maku, and tittered excitedly, going on about how beautiful she was, Tae sighing in the wonder of it all, and Megumi grinning ever so slightly every time she made the girl blush with her wedding night advice.
As is commonly known, men communicate in different ways than women, so Kenshin's preparations were far more silent and poignant. Sano smirked at him wordlessly, proudly, as he fussed over the sleeves on his new haori, trying to pretend he was used to wearing brand new clothes. There was no nervous rambling, no off-color joking or banter (although the bachelor party was another question altogether), or akward words of comfort. There was only the warm set of smiles they exchanged, and Sanosuke's affectionate punch on the arm.
That was what said it all. It was that happy go lucky nudge that said 'Way to go. I'm happy for ya.' It said, 'You made the right descision. It's perfect. I understand that she's going to be the most important person in your life from now on, and I accept that. We're still going to be buddies the same as ever, but you need to devote your life to her, so if you value our friendship at all you'll treasure her more than anything. Go for it, man.'
He must have thought this a little too enthusiastically, as it took several minutes of fanning and a cold-compress on his freshly bruised arm to get Kenshin off the floor again and to the altar.
The ceremony went perfectly, in spite of the groom's smarting arm. It went by quickly, seamlessly, wonderfully, but with the slight twinge of pain to serve as a reminder where reality lay.
On the wedding night, Kaoru had thought to ask about the bruise on her newlywed husband's arm as she removed his gi, but in her haste, decided against it.
(End)
(Post script note: A shiro maku is a white wedding kimono)